Africans In Lugansk, East Ukraine, Assaulted At Gunpoint

On May 17, vigilantes in the Lugansk, working under the separatist group, the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic, singled out and rounded up 20 African students in a café in Lugansk where there were also Ukrainians and other nationals.

The vigilantes took the Africans away to their “security office” (one of the government buildings they have seized). According to the victims, they beat them after searching them and “seizing” their mobile phones, cash, chains and watches.

Then they invited the media, one of the most popular, and paraded them, accusing them that they had come to request ammunitions to fight against the Ukrainian government forces and that they the Lugansk people’s militia had refused because they considered the ongoing problem as strictly internal. They do not want their participation. The reporter said the Africans were planning to form "Black Snake" or "Black Water" commando rebel-style group. They were also accused of disobeying their hostel commandant’s curfew orders. The Africans were not given the chance to speak.

Denigratingly, the reporter goes on to say how they have come here and so eating well and feeling good; and how they had even beaten an assistant to a parliamentarian, whose name he had forgotten.

Eighteen of them were released the following day after various interventions, though without their belongings listed above, and their cars. Two were kept on suspicion of possessing marijuana.

Our Lugansk representatives/members agreed to inform the African Center if it would be on condition of anonymity because of the sensitiveness of the situation there. They added that they had seen how they are killing their own people, how much more blacks if they give them the chance to do so.

The victims later explained to the Center that they were utterly afraid after they were threatened with loaded guns on a number of occasions after their “arrest”, especially seeing what they the vigilantes have done to their own people and what they are capable of. They said they did not know why they were singled out among the many that were there, and arrested.